


Work to be Done

by RedTeamShark



Series: Los Santos is No Place for the Innocent [7]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Discussed Child Sexual Abuse, Discussed Torture, Drug Use, Drug trafficking, Los Santos, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:17:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7885321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedTeamShark/pseuds/RedTeamShark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No rest for the wicked.” Ryan grinned, glancing over towards Ray. “That seems to be Geoff’s plan.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Work to be Done

“That motherfucker.” Geoff nodded, sitting back at his desk and sipping a glass of whiskey. Four men occupied the wide space across the desk from him. Ray sitting in a chair with Gavin behind him, the Brit’s arms wrapped protectively over his shoulders. Jack stood by the desk, a file folder in hand. Further back in the room, Ryan leaned on the wall, tossing a mask between his hands. “He thinks he can fucking steal from me.” Though his actions were calm, the mustached man was obviously livid. “You’re going to teach him a lesson.”

“Just tell us what to do, bossman.” Gavin grinned, tightening his arms around Ray.

“I don’t just want to beat him up or kill him.” Geoff finished his whiskey and slammed the glass onto his desk. “I want him to really understand just what happens when you cross the Lazer.”

“Sounds like a fun job.” Ryan grinned, stepping closer and taking the file from Jack. “But why so many of us?”

“I’m just here for the information.” Jack nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “The idiot is on our records, so we know plenty about him.”

“Lives alone, shitty studio apartment, works at the docks… Recent large purchases made in cash. This guy is a fucking moron.” Ryan laughed, passing the file over to Gavin. “Is he really worth the trouble, boss?”

“He is.” Geoff said. He poured himself another glass of whiskey, smiling. “You don’t fuck with me without suffering.” He took the file back from Gavin, laying it open in the middle of his desk. “We’re going to hit him in as many places as possible. First of all, the fucking moron bought all his shit from Gus, so it’s getting rather forcefully repo’d by the Adams. Once he doesn’t have any of the shit he bought with my stolen money—or any other shit, for that matter—then he’s going to lose his home. Dumb fucker rents at a complex that Burnie owns, not that that’s hard to do. He’s going to find a rather forceful eviction notice, courtesy of Burnie Burns. Then he’s going to have a warrant put out for his arrest, his description given to every bluesuit in the city.” Geoff grinned, leaning back. “Once all of _that_ is in place, you three—“ he pointed to Ryan, Ray, and Gavin “—are going to teach him a lesson about being a greedy little cocksucker.”

“And while we’re waiting for this opportunity?” Ray questioned, the first time he’d spoken since sitting down in the office. His attention was darting from Geoff to Ryan, eyes slightly narrowed.

“While you’re waiting, Ryan’s going to show you just how I put thieves in their place.”

–

The weird part was, Ray thought as he sat next to Gavin, hand tightly clenching the other man’s, no one seemed bothered by it. They’d pulled a man off the streets, thrown him into the trunk of a car, and driven him to the outskirts of town. There was a small building there, really no more than a shack, dusty furniture and a few cobwebbed lights the only decorations. Ryan had shoved the guy into the chair, tied his hands and feet to it, and told Ray and Gavin to go get the supplies from the car.

They’d seen the look in the man’s eyes as they brought things in, the abject terror of each delivery. A large metal pipe. A gas can, sloshing liquid inside. A toolbox rattling with metal instruments. The car battery and jumper cables. None of it really spoke well for the stranger’s future.

“Well, boys…” Ryan smiled, stepping over and pulling two chairs away from the wall, setting them near the bound man. “Take a seat and watch how it’s done. There’ll be a test on this later.”

The two fell into the chairs, Ray’s hand finding Gavin’s, squeezing gently. Gavin looked on as Ryan sifted through the items they’d brought inside, a visible spark of excitement in his eyes. When the brunette man stepped over to their prisoner with a screwdriver, Gavin sat forward eagerly, all focus on what was about to play out.

He wasn’t supposed to, but Ray looked away, gritting his teeth together. He supposed he didn’t mind killing people if it was part of the job… if they’d done something to cross him or the man who paid him. But this was torture of some nameless guy they’d yanked right off the streets. This wasn’t the kind of job he wanted to have. This was messy and raw and drawn out. It wasn’t a quick kill, a bullet to the head or a knife across the throat. Ryan was right there with the guy, in his personal space, talking to him, patting his cheeks to help him stay conscious for it.

It was horrifying.

And Gavin seemed completely into it, eager to try it himself.

The night ahead of them was a long one, punctuated by the creak of the wind outside of the shack they worked in.

–

“Hey, you called me in, Geoff?” Michael smiled, taking a seat behind the heavily-tattooed man’s desk.

“Yeah, glad you could make it on short notice. I need you to work that police magic you have.” Geoff grinned back, pushing a file over to Michael. “Whatever you think will get the heat on him, but in about two days I want every bluesuit in the city to be looking out for this guy. But I don’t want it in the papers.”

The curly-haired man read the file, nodding slightly. “The bluesuits on the look but keep it out of the news… Little bit of human sex trade, possibly children involved, should cut it. What if he gets hauled in?”

“That’s fine. We’ll get him back once there’s no evidence. And hey, if there _is_ evidence, we’ll just find a workaround. You’re dating a defense attorney.”

A brief flash of something in Michael’s eyes—anger, maybe. “I don’t think Lindsay would take his case unless she had to. She doesn’t defend people accused of abusing children. What’d he actually do?”

“Stole some of my property. Jack’s got details if you want them. Hey, speaking of Lindsay…” Geoff smiled, the aura of tough boss vanishing in an instant. “You two are still coming by for dinner on Sunday, right?”

“Unless something big comes up, we’ll be there. I’m sure she’ll be glad to get some relaxation in, too. Work’s been hell for her lately.” Michael laughed, shaking his head. “Not that planning a wedding is relaxing at all. I think that’s more stressful than the courtroom, really.”

“Yeah, but you two will pull it off. I’ll have Ryan clean up and come over if it’s not too busy so that she can meet my plus-one. Father of the groom and his question-raiser, huh?” Laughter from both men, before Michael shrugged.

“Hey, he’s family, same as Jack. As long as he keeps things sort of sane, Lindsay won’t wonder.”

“Alright, we’ll see you two kids Sunday, then. I’ve got more work to do.” Geoff waved him off and Michael left, smiling slightly.

He did love his job.

–

He did love his job.

Ryan patted the man’s cheek, sighing as he determined that his victim wasn’t going to be waking up any time soon. He wiped away the mix of drool and blood that was trailing down the man’s scruffy chin, brushing a hand on his jeans before turning to the two he’d been asked to teach.

“Any questions?”

“What do we do with him?” Gavin spoke up immediately, a thoughtful frown on his lips. “Can’t just let him go, right?”

“Don’t worry about it for now. Ray, you still paying attention?” Ryan frowned, looking the shorter man up and down.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I just… considering…” The dark-haired man mumbled, looking from the unconscious stranger to Ryan.

“You’ll have plenty of time to perfect your own technique before we go after the thieving scumbag.” He nodded to the younger pair, leading them out the door, shutting it tightly behind himself. “I’ll drop you two off at home.”

The car ride was mostly silent, Ray’s attention focused on the growing urban sprawl of the city as they left the open ground for close buildings and high-rises. Had he really ever thought this place was different than Liberty City? Had he really ever thought things were better here?

Gavin hung back by the car as Ray let himself into the building and called the elevator, the Brit jogging across the lobby to join him, long arms wrapping around his waist as they rode up to their apartment. His lips pressed to Ray’s jaw, voice low and breath warm. “It’s okay.”

“What are you talking about?” Ray demanded, squirming out of the hold, unlocking the apartment and letting them in.

“It’s not like before, is all. This is better, I promise.” The older man pulled him close again, into a short kiss. “Ryan’s picking me up in the morning. Come on, let’s shower together and just… forget everything for a while.”

Ray let his arms wrap around Gavin’s shoulders, lips pressing to his again. “I don’t think I can.”

“I’ll help.”

–

The phone rang in the middle of the morning, answered almost immediately, the man grabbing it carefully setting his newspaper down.

“Beardo 2 to Beardo 1, the job is done.” A voice on the other end spoke immediately and the man smiled.

“Well done, Beardo 2. I take it you offered a rather rude awakening?”

“Something like that, Beardo 1 and—oh, shut up, Adam, it’s just for fun.” The sound of a brief struggle ensued, before a new voice spoke over the line.

“The job’s done, Jack. Is there anything else you’d like us to do?” The clipped professionalism in the voice made the bearded man chuckle.

Still, he shook his head briefly. “Nah, you guys are all set. I think Gus will handle the details of where to put the stuff.”

“That place was a shithole!” He heard Adam—otherwise known as Beardo 2—exclaim, before Adam—no beardy nickname attached—agreed and ended the call.

Hanging up his phone, Jack picked up his paper again. A moment later he set it down, answering as it rang. He listened briefly, nodding and mentally taking notes. “Understood.” He said after a few minutes, ending the call and resuming his perusal of the morning paper.

Half an hour later he folded the paper and called Geoff, unsurprised to hear the man’s sleepy mumble of a greeting. “Part one of the job is done. I’ll remind you of that over lunch, so go back to bed.”

Rather than an answer, the only thing that came through the phone was a light snore. Jack smiled as he hung up. He liked it when life went as predicted.

–

Ryan pulled up in front of the apartment building, yawning and rubbing a hand against his face. He’d had maybe three hours of sleep after dropping Gavin and Ray off the night before, and had just woken up from an hour nap after his one-on-one session with Gavin. Word was that the Adams had finished their job while he’d been asleep, as well.

Now it was time to take Ray into the field, and the thought of it sent a rush of new energy buzzing through him. He was curious to see what Ray would be like, curious if his predictions were correct, or if he’d be proven wrong again. Gavin had certainly surprised him, taking to the concept and execution of torture like a bird takes to wing. He knew that the sandy-haired man was walking mayhem, but he hadn’t realized how powerful that mayhem could be with a little direction.

There wasn’t time to dwell on it, though. He grabbed his phone, calling up Ray’s number and telling the younger man to come down and get in the car. The brunette leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes and waiting.

The door opened a second later, the car shifting slightly as Ray climbed in and shut the door. Ryan opened his eyes, putting the car in drive and pulling away from the building.

“You look exhausted.” The younger man noted, dark eyes moving up and down slowly. “Have you slept at all since yesterday?”

With a shrug, he shook his head. “No rest for the wicked.” Ryan grinned, glancing over towards Ray. “That seems to be Geoff’s plan.”

“And what’s your plan? Why bring me out here today?”

“It’s time for the test. Hope you were paying attention last night.”

“Is that where you took Gavin this morning?” He didn’t need to look over to guess what the look on Ray’s face was; minor disgust, mostly hidden but still close enough to the surface to be obvious.

“Don’t worry about that. This is all you—everything I did last night, you’re doing now.” Ryan reached over, patting his shoulder lightly. “Hey, you should enjoy this, you’re calling the shots. I’m just the driver.”

“Yeah, real fun.” Ray shrugged him off harshly, turning his focus out the window. “Uptown’s too crowded, too many people that might actually notice what we’re doing. Head into the poorer residential areas. And Ryan?” A glance over his shoulder, a frown for the older man. “Keep your hands off me.”

“Wow, sensitive this afternoon.” The brunette rolled his eyes, steering the car towards the requested part of town.

–

He hadn’t exactly expected his phone call to be answered. He’d been even more surprised when the man on the other end agreed to meet him downtown that very afternoon.

Gavin showered again, triple-checking that there wasn’t a spot of blood on him—none in his hair, none under his nails, no blood at all—before he toweled off and dressed. He ran his fingers through his hair, flattening it down into something almost presentable and wondering if he should get it cut soon, before heading out of the apartment, intending to walk to the restaurant they’d decided to meet at.

Joel was waiting for him in the lobby and the two shared a smile and a nod before the hostess led them to a small, private table near the back of the dining area. The dark-haired man sat back, one eyebrow raised curiously. “I figured I’d never hear from you again. What’s up?”

“Honestly?” Gavin smiled, spreading his hands. “Ray’s out today and I’m worried about him, but you’re good at taking my mind off of things that worry me.”

“Using me for entertainment, I see.” Before Gavin could try to defend himself, Joel grinned. “Sounds like an afternoon. What’s Ray doing that has you so worried?”

It wasn’t like Gavin could just spill his guts about the past twenty-four hours or so to Joel. He’d watched a man be tortured and had done the job himself to another, what the hell would the handsome near-stranger across the table think of that? Joel wasn’t one of them, he was a friend of Burnie’s but on a completely different level than Geoff and Geoff’s people. He shouldn’t have even called him.

“He’s just working and it’s stressful when we’re not working together. Guess that’s what being sort-of-boyfriends does, huh?”

“So you call a guy you slept with for a lunch date because you’re worried about your boyfriend? Is that a Liberty City tradition?” Joel smiled and Gavin couldn’t help but return it, shaking his head.

“I called a friend to meet for lunch. It’s only a date if one person covers both checks.”

“Guess it’s a date, then.” Joel teased lightly.

Gavin frowned. “Joel, you don’t have to—“

“Because,” the man continued, holding up a hand, “I didn’t bring any money. You’re paying.”

The sandy-haired man stared at the laughing man across the table, his eyes wide with shock. “You’re fucking joking.”

“Am I?”

“You better be, or you better order something cheap.”

“Guess we’ll find out what happens when the check comes.”

Gavin huffed, crossing his arms, though he didn’t fight it. He liked hanging out with Joel, he’d discovered. The man had a good sense of humor, easy banter, and held up a conversation well. He also wasn’t intimidated by the names that Gavin was tied to, which was definitely pleasant. “Maybe I’ll put it in Burnie’s name, I’m sure he’s got some pull here.”

“And I’m sure he’d string you up by your toes if you tried that shit on him.”

“Might just be worth it. Wining and dining a real celebrity on the Burns account, and all.”

When the check arrived, Gavin took it up immediately, slipping a credit card into it and closing the small folder. He set it down, frowning when Joel’s hand settled over his.

“So, why are you really buying?” The dark-haired man asked, his gaze intent on the man across the table.

Gavin sighed, pulling his hand free and looking away. “I might need a favor.”

“What kind of favor are we talking about here?”

Squirming slightly in his seat, the Brit hesitatingly made eye contact again. “Pretty soon I’m going to need an alibi for something. Can I say I was with you?”

“You know, Gavin…” Joel sighed, running a hand through his hair, waiting until the waiter had left to continue. “Burnie and I are friends, and I know that he’s not always… up front in his business practices. You didn’t have to buy me lunch to get me to vouch for you—not that I don’t appreciate lunch, of course. What sort of situation is it? Or would you rather not tell me?”

“I know, but this is—it’s not a job with Burnie. It’s a job with my… main boss, I guess. And the less you know… it’s just better if you don’t. I’ll call you and let you know when I was with you, okay?”

“Alright. I can do that.” Joel grinned suddenly, leaning back. “On the condition that we actually do get together again sometime. Just to hang out, not for anything work-related.”

“I think I can meet that requirement.”

–

Ray managed to wait until he’d stumbled out of the shack to throw up. He leaned over the bushes, heaving in air and letting it out in a series of retches, every muscle locking up before he’d relax enough to draw in another breath. He could still hear screaming from inside and every time he closed his eyes, visions of the last half hour or so danced through his head. The worst part was he’d known exactly what he was getting into, but he’d had to go through with it. If he didn’t… well, it might be him Ryan had tied to the chair. Might be his blood and piss all over the floor.

“You done puking yet?” Ryan questioned behind him, making him jump. Ray turned around, wiping a hand across his mouth.

“I-I’m fine.”

“Yeah, bullshit. Anyways, I gotta take you home before I finish this job. If you throw up in my car I’m going to kick your ass, so you better be done.”

He swallowed, looking down. “I said I was fine.”

“Then get in.”

They drove back to the city, Ray’s attention raptly focused out the window—anywhere but on Ryan, really. At the apartment, he reached for the door handle, freezing when a hand closed over his arm.

“You’re not getting scared on us, right? Wouldn’t want to upset Geoff’s plans.”

Ray shrugged him off harshly, keeping his eyes out the window. “I said I was fucking fine, and I fucking am. Get off my case.”

“Hey.” Ryan’s sharp voice stopped him from leaving the car, though the older man didn’t touch him again. “Don’t do this shit. Working for Geoff is good work and as long as you’re honest it’ll _stay_ good work. This is as much of a lesson for you as it is for the asshole that decided to steal from us. Keep that in mind, or the next person out in that shack getting cooked from the inside out is gonna be your boyfriend.”

Finally, he turned, facing the brunette behind the wheel. Ray grit his teeth, his words coming out almost as a growl. “I. Fucking. Know. I belong to Geoff, Gavin belongs to Geoff, half this fucking city belongs to Geoff. Just because you came waltzing out of prison and up to the boss’s side doesn’t mean you know everything that’s going on around here. I get it. I know that Gavin’s on the line if I fuck up and that I’m on the line if he does. This isn’t the first time he and I have been in this situation, as you seem to be aware. So just shut the fuck up about it.”

To his surprise, Ryan grinned, the older man slowly tilting his head back and laughing. “I like you, Ray. You’ve got a hard shell to crack, but man, when I do…” He shook his head, waving the other man off. “You’ll get a call when it’s time to teach the thieving asshole a lesson. Before then, make sure you set up someone that will be able to alibi you while we’re taking care of him. Just in case.”

Silently, Ray got out of the car, shutting the door and heading inside and upstairs. All he really wanted to do was lie on the couch with his head in Gavin’s lap and the other man’s fingers in his hair.

Gavin wasn’t home when he got there, though, so Ray settled for a shower and flopping naked onto the couch cushions, turning the TV to whatever channel wasn’t currently playing a commercial.


End file.
